After reports of a QB competition following the signing of Russell Wilson, there will be no such thing for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kenny Pickett.
Pittsburgh is trading the former Pitt Panthers star to the Philadelphia Eagles in a picks swap in the 2024 NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
According to Schefter, the Steelers receive pick No. 98, near the end of the third round, in the 2024 NFL Draft and two 2025 seventh-round picks while the Eagles get Pickett and pick No. 120 overall (fourth round) of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Pickett was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and started 24 games for the Steelers, going 14-10.
In 25 games with the Steelers, Pickett threw for 4,474 yards and 13 touchdowns with 13 interceptions.
According to Schefter, once Wilson was signed by the Steelers, Pickett preferred to move on, rather than battle for the starting job.
It was a rocky tenure in Pittsburgh for the former Heisman Trophy finalist. He showed flashes as a rookie in 2022, leading the Steelers to a 7-2 record in the second half of the season to finish 9-8 though the Steelers missed the playoffs. Entering Year 2 in 2023, Pickett had a great training camp and preseason, but then struggled out of the gates and never figured it out under offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who was fired ahead of the Steelers’ Week 12 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pickett had the best game of his young career on the road against the Bengals, but then got hurt in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals at home, leading to tightrope surgery on his ankle, causing him to miss multiple weeks. Once he was healthy, he had been supplanted by Mason Rudolph, who won three straight games to lead the Steelers to the playoffs.
With Pickett sent to the Eagles, the Steelers now have one QB on the roster. Wilson spoke highly of Pickett Friday in his introductory press conference, stating he was looking forward to working with him and making the Steelers better.
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